Ahead of UFC debut, unbeaten Deiveson Alcantara vows to continue his finishing ways

At 29, Deiveson Alcantara will get the first big break of his unbeaten career, when he meets Marco Beltran next month at UFC 212.

But while Alcantara is just now making his long-awaited octagon debut, fighting has been in his life since as long as he can remember. Like a pair of fellow MMA Alcantaras – UFC bantamweight Iuri and former UFC welterweight Ildemar, known as the “Marajo brothers” – Alcantara grew up on the Island of Marajo, North of Brazil, amidst a native combat style called “luta marajoara.”

It took almost a decade for Alcantara to get into the wrestling-like sport. But, with his grandfather, father and uncles all immersed in it, there was virtually no escape.

“My father is very famous in Marajo because of the fighting,” Alcantara told MMAjunkie. “He’s very good. I refer to him as my master, too, because he taught me everything. And another man who taught me a lot was my grandfather. He’s 70 now, and he still trains with his grandchildren. He’s really something else. The entire family, really.”

Deivson Alcantara with his dad, grandfather and brother.

Alcantara became a practitioner when he was 9. At 12, he started taking part in championships, held typically on softer surfaces such as sand or grass. Back then, the 125-pounder didn’t always have the luxury of facing men his own size – which meant overcoming 50-pound disadvantages in some matches. Still, he thrived.

At 15, another traditional Brazilian style came into the picture: capoeira. While Alcantara only practiced it for three years, it was in a capoeira circle (called “roda” in Brazil) that he met third-cousin Iuri “Marajo” – back then a still up-and-coming MMA fighter himself.

Iuri, now an octagon veteran, would become responsible for kicking off Deivison’s own transition.

“He saw me playing (capoeira), and I noticed that he was looking,” Alcantara recalled. “So we finished, and I asked him to let me train with him. I knew of him; I knew that he did MMA. And he promptly told me to stop by the gym the next day.

“The next day, I was there. So I started training jiu-jitsu, boxing, muay Thai. We started training a lot. It became almost an addiction to me. Since then, he’s become my master. Everything I know, I have him to thank for.”

Apart for some early friendly banter – his blooming cauliflower ears soon became a target for his father, who nicknamed him after a horse with similar traits  – Alcantara says his family is very supportive of his career. But even if they’re OK with the face-punching, one family member seems to have a tough time embracing it.

“I was talking to my aunt the other day, and I told her that it was hard, that I was hungry because of the weight loss,” Alcantara said. “It wasn’t yet the actual cut, but I’m already dieting hardcore. And she told me my grandpa was next to her, and he was crying, because he felt my suffering.”

This time, Alcantara’s (11-0, 0-0 UFC) tough weight cut – 30 pounds, give or take – is for a bigger purpose: his UFC debut. And he’s bringing in some impressive numbers into the meeting with Beltran (8-4, 3-1 UFC). Since 2012, Alcantara has finished 10 of his 11 opponents. Of those finishes, only two went past the first round.

While Alcantara is not yet an internationally acclaimed name, he’s been one of Brazil’s fighters to watch for a while, having tasted some internet fame thanks to a particularly humiliating knockout inflicted at a Jungle Fight 90. The result, he said bluntly, came about because of a “kung fu instinct” that kicked in after years of sparse training in the style.

On one hand, Alcantara believes the much-anticipated UFC call was overdue. On the other, he believes a young, immature version of himself would not have been able to make the most of the opportunity.

“Now I know what I want,” Alcantara said. “Now I go after what I want. And I’m ready. I feel ready as a fighter. I have great jiu-jitsu, I’m good at takedowns, I do perfect clinch work. Every day I work at making my boxing very sharp. Those UFC guys better be prepared, because we will throw down. My fights won’t go past the first two rounds.

“Now that I’ve got it, I’m going in on the right foot. Right after this fight, I plan on traveling, training abroad and getting new knowledge so I can stay unbeaten and put on shows in the UFC. My goal is the belt, and I’m certain I’m going to own it.”

Citing his aggressiveness as the reason behind the quite self-explanatory “God of War” nickname, Alcantara is clearly into finishes. And that, he explains, is a conscious choice. While some of his colleagues focus simply on wins, however they may come, Alcantara puts pressure on himself to get the job done quickly.

“I don’t like being in there for too long,” Alcantara said. “Therefore, I need to go in there and give it my all, so I can get out as quickly as possible without harming my opponent. I always ask God for that and, thankfully, God has given me that. All my fights have been quick.”

In spite of the step up in competition, Alcantara fully expects to keep his finishing ways going when he meets Beltran on June 3.

“I’m working on a strategy to smother him, so he can’t get comfortable in his game,” Alcantara said. “With this, I intend to take him down and submit him in the first round. If I can’t take him to the ground, I trust my hands. I’ve always knocked people out, and it won’t be different if he stands in front of me.

“I’m hungry to win, I’m hungry to put on shows. I’ve made it to the biggest promotion in the world, where I’ve always dreamed of being, and I won’t let him take that dream away from me.”

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